The whole carb truth about pasta

BY ERICA MARCUS | erica.marcus@newsday.com

April 30, 2008

A dish of whole wheat spaghetti with walnuts. (Newsday / Robert Mecea / April 29, 2008)

Pasta is the go-to staple for countless quick meals. It also happens to be one of the world's most satisfying and delicious foods. But it strikes fear in the hearts of the carb-averse. Well, carb-avoiders: You can relax ... a little.

The bad news first: Pasta contains carbohydrates. A pasta labeled "no carb" or even "low-carb" does not, I submit, qualify as pasta.

The good news: Even regular "white" pasta has a lower "glycemic index" than comparably wheaten and starchy foods such as white bread and potatoes. The glycemic index, or GI, is a number, on a scale of 1 to 100, that represents how quickly a food makes your blood sugar spike. Roughly speaking, the higher the GI, the "worse" the carb. Precise GI numbers for pasta vary according to type, brand and cooking times, but the range hovers around the 40s. White bread weighs in at 70, a baked potato is upward of 80 and a French baguette rates 95.

The better news: Because of its higher fiber content, whole-grain pasta can be an even healthier alternative than regular. De Cecco's whole-wheat pasta, for example, contains 7 grams of fiber per 2-ounce serving; the brand's regular pasta contains 2 grams of fiber.

The best news: The last few years have seen an efflorescence of whole-grain pastas that, when treated correctly, can be perfectly delicious. (Most whole-grain pastas cost about 30 percent to 40 percent more, about 50 cents per box, than their same-brand regular counterparts.)

What's the trick to cooking whole-grain pasta? First, don't overcook it. Because of the fibrous bits that break up the strands of gluten that give pasta its springy texture, whole-grain pasta lacks regular's resilience and elasticity. A minute too long in the boiling water and it can become unpalatably mushy.

Pay attention to shape. I've learned from experience that spaghetti and other thin-strand varieties (linguine, tagliatelle) are more dependable than the thicker macaroni shapes such as ziti and penne. These stubby pastas must cook longer and, thus, run a higher risk of turning to mush. Also, the more delicate architecture of spaghetti somewhat counteracts the heavier taste and mouth-feel of whole grain. Fusilli, I've found, is probably the safest macaroni choice.

The biggest drawback I've found with even the best whole-grain pasta is that its rustic, nutty taste clashes with the sweet fruitiness of tomatoes, and so my 15-minute dead-easy marinara sauce is a no-go.

Whole-grain pasta is much better with assertive sauces based on cured meat, aged cheese or bitter vegetables. Two such recipes follow, but here's one you can make in less than a minute: Cook pasta until al dente, drain well, place in bowl and douse with good extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, a good grinding of black pepper, and some freshly grated pecorino cheese. You won't be disappointed.

What makes whole wheat pasta different?

Pasta is, classically, made from durum semolina flour. "Durum" refers to a hard, gluten-rich strain of wheat; "semolina," to the fairly coarse grind used to make pasta.

A wheat grain is made up of three parts: the outer layer, the bran, contains most of the fiber; the inner core, the germ, contains fat and many nutrients. The bulk of the grain, the endosperm, contains most of the carbohydrates and protein. Ordinarily, semolina is made from refined wheat -- wheat grains whose bran and germ have been removed in the milling process. (Removing the bran and the germ from non-durum wheat is precisely how to make all-purpose white flour.)

Pasta labeled "whole wheat" is made, simply, from 100 percent whole durum wheat plus water. Whole-grain pasta varies widely in its composition. Most brands are made with a mixture of whole-wheat and regular (i.e. refined) durum semolina flour. Some add flours of other grains (e.g. spelt, barley, oats, rye, millet, kamut, rice) or, in the case of Barilla Plus, flours milled from legumes (e.g. lentils, chickpeas). Check the ingredients to see what you are getting.